Men have the undeniable ability to change their entire appearance by growing some facial hair. Whether they are clean-shaven, rocking a goatee, or have a full-on beard can say not only a lot about how they look – but also how women perceive them.

There’s an undeniable upsurge in men with facial hair, but it appears women are pretty slow to taking to the trend — the facial hair choice women still prefer is that which is minimal and sculpted, or even better, not having facial hair at all. And what with the growing numbers of new beard trimmers hitting the markets, it looks like grooming brands have tuned into that preference.

Facial Hair Prejudices

It seems whatever women want, it's not buried beneath a mound of hair. “While a neatly trimmed beard is acceptable, a long, unruly beard or mustache covering the lips are scientifically proven to be disliked by women,” says celebrity hairstylist and men's groomer Kristan Serafino, who refers to a classic study by John Krantz that found that women actually considered men with long beards to have lower mental competence!

“In another study by the Journal of Evolution and Human Behavior, 500 men and women were asked to rate male models of varying lengths of beards by looks, health and hygiene. Both sexes agreed men appeared healthier and sexier the shorter and neater the beard,” says Serafino. All in all, the study suggests women prefer the occasional trim, and that facial hair staying well groomed shows a man cares about health, hygiene and romance.

Match Your Personality

When it comes to what facial hair works, it really depends on the guy. Confidence in wearing it is a very big part, says Vaughn Acord, co-owner of mizu New York salon and founder of V76. “Generally mustaches are not very popular with women and a goatee has never been a favorite of women when asked. But market research may point us in an interesting direction. With beards being popular these days, I do feel it should be kept up, clean, and smelling nice. Big beards are going to find a smaller audience with women too than tight ones,” says Acord.